1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates in general to a deodorizing device for a refrigerator and, more particularly, to a deodorizing device provided in a cooling chamber of the refrigerator and deodorizing and sterilizing the cooling air of the cooling chamber, thereby deodorizing and sterilizing the refrigerator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown in a side sectional view a refrigerator having a typical deodorizing device. As shown in this drawing, the refrigerator includes a freezing chamber 200 and a cooling chamber 300, which chambers 200 and 300 are defined in the upper section and in the lower section of the interior of a refrigerator casing 100 respectively. The front of the freezing chamber 200 is provided with a freezing chamber door 220, while the frost of the cooling chamber 300 is provided with a cooling chamber door 320. Placed in the upper section in the space defined in the rear wall of the freezing chamber 200 is a cooling air fan 210 for drawing the cooling air to the freezing chamber 200 and to the cooling chamber 300. In order to introduce the cooling air of the fan 210 into the freezing chamber 200, a first cooling air inlet 240 is provided in the rear wall of the freezing chamber 200 in front of the cooling air fan 210. Placed under the cooling air fan 210 is an evaporator 230 for absorbing heat of cooling air, which cooling air was generated through a cooling air generating cycle of the refrigerator and circulated in the freezing chamber 200 and in the cooling chamber 300.
The freezing chamber 200 insulated from the cooling chamber 300 by both an upper insulating wall 260 and a lower insulating wall 270. A cooling air return passage 280 is defined between the upper insulating wall 260 and the lower insulating wall 270, so that the freezing chamber 200, the evaporator 230 and the cooling chamber 300 communicate with each other through the return passage 280. The cooling air return passage 280 communicates with the freezing chamber 200 through a first cooling air return port 290, which port 290 sucks the cooling air, after circulating in the freezing chamber 200, into the passage 280. In the same manner, the cooling air return passage 280 communicates with the cooling chamber 300 through a second cooling air return port 340, which port 340 sucks the cooling air, after circulating in the cooling chamber 300, into the passage 280. A cooling air passage 250 for introducing the cooling air into the cooling chamber 300 is provided in back of the evaporator 230. The cooling air passage 250 opens to the cooling chamber 300 at a second cooling air inlet 330, which inlet 330 introduces the cooling air of the passage 250 into the cooling chamber 300. Provided in upper section of the interior rear wall of the cooling chamber 300 is a deodorizing device 310. The device 310 includes a deodorizing fan 311 for forcibly circulating the cooling air of the cooling chamber 300 and for deodorizing and sterilizing the cooling air of the cooling chamber 300. The deodorizing device 310 also includes a deodorant 312. In operation of the above refrigerator having the typical deodorizing device 310, a low temperature refrigerant which has been cooled by a refrigerating cycle of the refrigerator is introduced into the evaporator 230 wherein the refrigerant exchanges heat with the surrounding air about the evaporator 230, thus to absorb the heat of the surrounding air and to cool the air. The cooled surrounding air or the cooling air in turn is forcibly blown by the cooling air fan 210, so that a part of the cooling air is introduced into the freezing chamber 200 through the first cooling air inlet 240 provided in front of the fan 210. The cooling air introduced into the freezing chamber 200 circulates in the chamber 200 while absorbing the heat of the freezing chamber 200 and, thereafter, returns to about the evaporator 230 through the first cooling air return port 290 and the cooling air return passage 280. At the evaporator 230, the return cooling air exchanges heat with the low temperature refrigerant of the evaporator 230, thus to be cooled. The cooling air after heat exchanging at the evaporator 230 is again introduced into the freezing chamber 200 and circulates in the chamber 200 in the same manner as described above. The suction force for sucking the cooling air, after circulating in the freezing chamber 200, at the first cooling air return port 290 is generated by the cooling air fan 210.
Meanwhile, a pan of the cooling air is introduced into the cooling chamber 300 through the cooling air passage 250 and the second cooling air inlet 330. The cooling air introduced into the cooling chamber 300 circulates in the chamber 300 while absorbing the heat of the cooling chamber 300 and, thereafter, returns to about the evaporator 230 through the second cooling air return port 340 and the cooling air return passage 280. At the evaporator 230, the return cooling air exchanges heat with the low temperature refrigerant of the evaporator 230, thus to be cooled. The cooling air after heat exchanging at the evaporator 230 is again introduced into the cooling chamber and circulates in the chamber 200 in the same manner as described above.
In the above operation of the refrigerator, the deodorizing device 310 provided in the interior of the cooling chamber 300 deodorizes and sterilizes the cooling air of the refrigerator. That is, the cooling air of the cooling chamber 300 forcibly circulates in the cooling chamber 300 by the blowing force of the deodorizing fan 311 of the device 310. During the forcible circulation of the cooling air in the cooling chamber 300, the cooling air laden with odor and bacteria is deodorized and sterilized by the deodorant 312 of the device 310.
However, it has been noted that the above deodorizing device 310 has the following problems.
That is, the deodorizing device is provided with its own fan for forcibly circulating the cooling air of the cooling chamber in order to deodorize and sterilize the cooling air. However, the fan of the deodorizing device generates operational noise and causes increase of cost of the refrigerator. In addition, it is preferred to periodically change the deodorant with new one after lapse of predetermined time in order to achieve desired deodorizing and sterilizing effect. However, the above deodorizing device is fixedly mounted to the rear wall of the cooling chamber, which rear wall is without ready reach of a user, so that the deodorant can not periodically changed with new one. In this regard, the above deodorizing device will be deteriorated in its deodorizing and sterilizing effect with the lapse of time and will fail in keeping desired sanitation of the refrigerator.